Muscle cells are activated when calcium is released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum into the myofilament space. The processes involved in this intracellular calcium movement have been studied by measuring isometric force and 45Ca fluxes in mechanically skinned fibers from frog muscle. The structural changes associated with the transition of muscle cells from one physiological state to another have been examined by X-ray diffraction techniques, using radiation from conventional rotating anode generators and synchrotrons in conjunction with electronic, position sensitive, X-ray detectors. The rate constants associated with the turnover of actomyosin cross-bridges have been studied by analyzing the contraction kinetics of skinned muscle fibers under controlled chemical conditions.